After my participation on the Granada Conference in July 2006 I became "well contaminated with the virus of solar cooking". Before I did not use solar cookers. I was a little sceptical. During the last year I have tried to disseminate solar cooking, first in my region (at home, schools, restaurants, beachs, media) but also in other regions and in other countries (Brasil and Spain). My participation on the Granada was the needed ignition to start. I have started with the solar cookit that Margaret gave to me. Then a lot experiences were done with different solar types of solar cookers, most of them of low cost apparatus using recycled materials. During this lats days 90% of my meals are cooked on solar cookers. It was very intense and entusiast activity. There somethings that did not run well. I'm a very tired but I will try to "contaminate" others with "this solar cooking virus" on next year. It is not easy.

Many thanks for all of speakers on Granada conference and specially for Pedro Serrano.

One of the last interesting reportages will be on the air next wednesday. A short preview video about renewable energy (almost solar cooking in a field with 70 scouths) is avalaible on SBS TV (Australia) on the programa DATELINE:

Prof. Ruivo reports that in 2007 he taught 1000 people and distributed 100 solar cookers, empowering 2000 people in Brazil and Portugal.

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News and recent developments

Technical University Federico Santa Maria students with Celestino Ruivo and Pedro Serrano

October 2013:Celestino Ruivo, Doctor of the University of Coimbra 's academic and University of Algarve, Portugal, visited the Technical University Federico Santa Maria in Chile, invited by the Academic Department of Architecture, Pedro Serrano. Both belong to international solar cooking organizations. Dr. Ruvio has been developing new lightweight and portable solar cookers, and spent time with students to discuss innovation. Later they traveled to Villaseca to visit Delicias del Sol, the popular local solar restaurant. More information... (Spanish)

September 2013: In July, Australian solar cooking enthusiats in Brisbane, Queensland hosted Portugeuese solar cooking authority Profeessor Celestino Ruivo. A winter solar cookout - possibly the biggest gathering of solar cooking ever in Australia - held at the home of Stan and Jane Cajdler, was attended by more than 70 enthusiasts with 25 solar cookers. Prof. Ruivo demonstrated his Celestino Solar Funnel Cooker.

February 2013: Solar cooking and processing workshops in India - Celestino Ruivo traveled to India at the end of January to attend the 1st International Solar Food Processing Network workshop at the Muni Seva Ashram in Goraj, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. He brought with him 50 kg. of solar cooking bagage: 8 black pots, 16 glasses of windows cloth washing machines, corrugated sheet metal, reflective foil and tools to make low cost and effective portable funnel cookers. Creatively, Celestino used his suitcase as the mold to construct examples of his solar funnel cooker in concrete. He also gave a lecture about solar cooking and how to construct a funnel cooker at the CT institute in Punjab for more than 300 students, as well teaching solar cooking for ladies in domestic context at Jalandhar. The eight funnel cookers were donated to friends in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Muni Seva Ashram, Vadodara, Jalandhar and New Delhi.

January 2013: The original funnel solar panel cooker was inspired by the CooKit. This efficient solar panel cooker was developed in 2007 using sheets of polypropylene. Recycled windows of clothes washing machines were used to create the greenhouse effect around the pot. A variation of the cooker made of concrete and common mirrors has been tested since 2009. Some of the main advantages of this solar cooker are: low cost reproduction in every part of the world using local available common materials, intuitive and practical use, water rain resistant and wind resistant and no risk for fire ignition. The useful heating capacity of this model was estimated around a value of 100 W. Read more at Experiences of solar cooking in Portugal during the last six years

Professor Celestino Rodrigues Ruivo

August 2008: Since becoming “well contaminated with the virus of solar cooking” at the 2006 International Solar Cookers Conference in Spain, professor Celestino Rodrigues Ruivo has become an important advocate for solar cooking in Portugal and beyond. Ruivo credits Pedro Serrano, of Chile’sRed Iberoamericana de Cocinas Solares (RECOSOL), and others for helping him overcome his initial skepticism. Ruivo learned to solar cook using a “CooKit” given to him by Solar Cookers International (SCI). He has since made and used several types of solar cookers, mostly “low cost apparatus using recycled materials.” Over ninety percent of his meals are now cooked with solar energy. Ruivo started promoting solar cookers locally — at his home, in local schools and restaurants, etc. — and worked with local media. Then he broadened his scope to other regions of Portugal, and eventually to Brazil and Spain. He’s even becoming known in Australia, where an interview with Ruivo (taped during a solar cooker workshop he conducted for about 70 Scouts) was broadcast on Australia’s SBS television program “Dateline.” Ruivo conducts numerous promotional activities. He has held several solar cooker conferences at the University of Algarve, with sessions on the evolution of solar cookers in Portugal, solar cooker distribution strategies, and solar cooker construction. He has also assisted with solar picnics and participated in solar cooking contests. According to Serrano, Ruivo has “developed an intensive process to diffuse the technology, [organizing] workshops, symposiums, courses, etc. — more than 20 activities in only one year.” Though Ruivo admits to being somewhat tired, he says he will continue his efforts to “contaminate others with this solar cooking virus.”